Legendary coach, ESPN TV personality attends Bulldogs' scrimmage

RUSTON – Skip Holtz spent nearly all of his childhood watching his father, Lou, coach, whether it was at Arkansas, Notre Dame or South Carolina.

The time has come for the elder Holtz to watch his son coach at Louisiana Tech, something Skip Holtz considers a blessing.

Sandwiched in between trips to Ohio State and Texas, ESPN personality and legendary coach Lou Holtz was in Ruston on Wednesday for Louisiana Tech's spring practice.

"As a son, it's great. My father is 78 years old now and getting the opportunity to spend this quality time with him is invaluable. I'm grateful that I have it," Skip Holtz said after Wednesday's practice.

CLOSE

Skip Holtz talks about his father, Lou Holtz, attending practice

Lou Holtz, who is an integral part of ESPN's college football coverage as a studio host each fall, spent the entire practice riding around in a golf cart in a white polo shirt, khaki pants and a white hat.

After the practice, Lou Holtz addressed the team, and Skip Holtz made sure his father didn't hold anything back.

"I don't know what he's going to say," Skip Holtz said. "I told him to be honest and tell them what you see. I think those are good learning lessons for those young men."

Lou Holtz directed a series of questions at Tech's players to give them something to ponder.

What price are they willing to pay to get what they want? Who do they need to work with to get what they want? He also gave them advice on how they can accomplish what they want as a football team.

The entire team crept in with their ears perked up as Lou Holtz started talking to the team. A guy with 40-plus years of coaching experience will do that.

Senior safety Xavier Woods tweeted out a photo of Lou Holtz speaking after the practice.

"He's known by a lot of these players as a TV personality because since a lot of these guys were 10 years old, he's been the face on ESPN that did football," Skip Holtz said. "Like I told them, he was a pretty good coach in his own day when he was coaching football."

Once the talk was over, the two went out to dinner, where Skip Holtz said he'd pick his father's brain.

"Having the opportunity to go have dinner with a guy who has coached as long as he's had and done what he's done and have the success on the field and be able to ask him pros, cons, goods, bads and be able to take that feedback, I think is invaluable," Skip Holtz said.

He admitted his father will give him advice, but he'll have to ask for it. The two watch film together, although not as frequently as several years ago when Skip Holtz coached at South Florida. Since then, it's become increasingly harder to physically have days like Wednesday due to Lou Holtz's schedule at ESPN.

Lou Holtz was at the Heart of Dallas Bowl last December to watch the Bulldogs earn a victory of Illinois. The two shared a moment after the game, and Lou Holtz even showed up at the post game press conference in support of his son.